Malawi Reach Historic WAFCON Final Behind Chawinga Sisters
Malawi’s remarkable debut campaign at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) has reached another historic milestone after the Scorchers defeated Algeria 3-1 on Wednesday to book their place in the final.
The Chawinga sisters, Tabitha and Temwa, once again proved decisive, combining for all three goals as Malawi continued their extraordinary run on their maiden appearance at the continental tournament.
Algeria’s challenge became even tougher early in the first half when Morgane Belkhiter was shown a red card, leaving the North Africans with 10 players. Malawi eventually took advantage in the 33rd minute when captain Tabitha Chawinga produced a moment of individual brilliance, directing an acrobatic effort onto the crossbar and into the net to put the Scorchers ahead.
Temwa doubled the advantage shortly before half-time, showing excellent composure inside the box before rounding the goalkeeper and calmly finishing into an empty net.
Algeria refused to surrender and pulled one back in the 60th minute through Ikram Adjabi, who reacted quickest to a loose ball following a dangerous free-kick from Marine Dafeur.
However, Malawi restored their two-goal cushion when Tabitha completed her brace with a powerful left-footed finish after beating her marker.
Algeria pushed for another comeback late on, but Malawi’s disciplined defending held firm to secure a famous 3-1 victory.
The result sends the Scorchers into their first-ever WAFCON final, completing one of the most remarkable stories in the history of the competition. Malawi’s dream of lifting the continental crown is now just one match away.
